The most important skill for success (and how to learn it)

Everything is trying to get your attention.

Your team. Your clients. The news. Social media. Every email. Every notification.

And they all use the same tactic: make their problem feel like your emergency.

The Attention War

Naval Ravikant said it best:

And it's not just media.

Every team member, every client, every potential partner in your business is competing for your attention. The mechanism is always the same:

Increase the weight of a problem so you give it focus.

"This is urgent."
"We need you on this."
"This can't wait."

But here's the truth most founders don't realize:

Not every burning fire needs your attention.

When Everything Was an Emergency

In the early years of ForkOn, I treated every problem like it was the most important problem.

A client complained? Drop everything.
A team member needed help? I'm on it.
An investor asked for update? Stop what I'm doing.

I was reactive. I was busy. I felt productive.

But I wasn't moving the company forward.

I was just firefighting. And the fires never stopped.

The breakthrough came when I realized:

I needed a strategy to separate noise from signal.

Most founders are drowning in noise, mistaking activity for progress.

The most important skill I've learned isn't working harder or faster.

It's learning what to ignore.

My Three-Step Focus System

Here's the system I use to protect my attention and focus on what actually matters:

Step 1: Weekly Preparation (Sunday, 30 minutes)

I sit down and reflect on the past week:

• What went well?
• What didn't?

Then I open my calendar and plan the next week.

I define the top 3 things I need to get done to move my company forward. Only 3.

When I can't decide, I ask myself: "If I could only work on one problem for the next month, what would it be—and why am I not working on it right now?"

This question cuts through everything.

Step 2: Daily Preparation (Every morning, before opening Slack or email)

Before I look at any messages, I sit down and decide:

"What is the most important thing to do today (out of the 3 I planned for the week) that I will focus on for at least 2 hours?"

This becomes non-negotiable.

Everything else can wait.

Step 3: Execute with Hyperfocus Cycles

I run four 25-minute hyperfocus blocks with 5-minute breaks:

→ 25 minutes: Deep work on the most important thing
→ 5 minutes: Stand, water, breathe
→ Repeat 4 times

This gives me 2 hours of high-quality, distraction-free focus on the most important problem—every single day.

After that, the normal daily business follows.

But by then, I've already done what matters most.

What Changed

Before this system, my focus was scattered. I was busy, but I wasn't effective.

Now, I protect my 2 hours like it's sacred.

There's a saying: "When you have multiple priorities, you have none."

Your focus is your superpower. It needs to be protected.

The skill that changed everything for me wasn't learning to do more.

It was learning to understand the difference between noise and signal—and being able to act based on that.

Focus on the signal. Ignore the noise.

This Week's Action: Try My System

Try this for one week and see what changes.

Sunday (30 minutes):

• Reflect on last week
• Plan next week
• Define your top 3 priorities

Every morning (5 minutes):

• Before opening Slack/email
• Choose your #1 focus for today
• Block 2 hours for it

Execute (2 hours):

• 4 rounds of 25-minute hyperfocus + 5-minute breaks
• Work only on your #1 priority
• Everything else waits

If you want my exact weekly and daily journaling templates, I've made them free.

​Download them here.​

All the best,

🌱 Tim